The Wasp — 1879 — page 395: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This six-panel satirical sequence mocks a barber's excessive fussiness and vanity about his work. The narrative shows a customer requesting a simple hair trim, but the barber becomes obsessed with minutiae—turning his stock of lies, searching for a tale to regale the customer, lying down with "unction," carefully arranging ringlets, and ultimately leaving the job "almost done" while the victim sits exhausted. The satire targets the pretentiousness of barbers who treated their craft as high art, taking excessive time and pride in trivial details while talking incessantly. The title "Barber-ism" puns on the word "barbarism," suggesting such behavior is uncouth vanity disguised as professionalism. It's social commentary on working-class tradesmen's affected airs.